Implantable cardiac devices are well known in the art. They may take the form of an implantable defibrillator (ICD) to treat accelerated rhythms of the heart such as fibrillation, or an implantable pacemaker to maintain the heart rate above a prescribed limit, such as, for example, to treat a bradycardia. Implantable cardiac devices are also known which incorporate both a pacemaker and a defibrillator.
The devices are generally implanted in an upper portion of the left-side of the chest beneath the skin of a patient within what is known as a subcutaneous pocket. The implantable devices generally function in association with one or more electrode-carrying leads which are implanted within the heart. The electrodes are positioned within the heart, for making electrical contact with their designated heart chamber. Conductors within the leads couple the electrodes to the device to enable the device to deliver the desired therapy.
Implantable pacemakers may operate in unipolar or bipolar pacing polarity electrode configurations. In unipolar pacing, the pacing stimulation pulses are applied between a single electrode carried by the lead, in electrical contact with the desired heart chamber, and the pulse generator case. The electrode serves as the cathode (negative pole) and the case serves as the anode (positive pole). In bipolar pacing, the pacing stimulation pulses are applied between a pair of closely spaced electrodes carried by the lead, in electrical contact with the desired heart chamber, one electrode serving as the anode and the other electrode serving as the cathode.
Pacemakers deliver pacing pulses to the heart to cause the stimulated heart chamber to contract when the patient's own intrinsic rhythm fails. To this end, pacemakers include sensing circuits that sense cardiac activity for the detection of intrinsic cardiac events such as intrinsic atrial events (P waves) and intrinsic ventricular events (R waves). By monitoring such P waves and/or R waves, the pacemaker circuits are able to determine the intrinsic rhythm of the heart and provide stimulation pacing pulses that force atrial and/or ventricular depolarizations at appropriate times in the cardiac cycle when required to help stabilize the electrical rhythm of the heart.
Pacemakers are described as single-chamber or dual-chamber systems. A single-chamber system stimulates and senses in one chamber of the heart (atrium or ventricle). A dual-chamber system stimulates and/or senses in both chambers of the heart (atrium and ventricle). Dual-chamber systems may typically be programmed to operate in either a dual-chamber mode or a single-chamber mode.
For defibrillation, one lead may include at least one defibrillation electrode arranged to be positioned in the right ventricle. When fibrillation is detected, a pulse generator delivers a defibrillating shock from the defibrillation electrode in the right ventricle to the device conductive housing to terminate the arrhythmia. Alternatively, a further defibrillation electrode ma be positioned in the right atrium or superior vena cava and electrically connected to the right ventricular defibrillation electrode. In this arrangement, the defibrillating shock is delivered from the parallel connected defibrillation electrodes to the conductive housing.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a debilitating, end-stage disease in which abnormal function of the heart leads to inadequate bloodflow to fulfill the needs of the body's tissues. As CHF progresses, blood pressure increases and interstitial fluid accumulates in the lungs around the heart. The accumulated fluid fills the gas air exchange space in the lungs and prevents proper lung function. Reduced oxygen saturation further aggravates cardiac function with possible infarction. Hence, CHF requires constant monitoring.
Sleep apnea is another condition which may benefit from constant or frequent monitoring. Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. In a given night, the number of involuntary pauses in breathing (apneic events) may be as high as twenty to sixty or more per hour. During sleep apnea, poor oxygen saturation sends a “wake-up call” to the brain to reinitiate breathing. However, as oxygen saturation restores to a normal level inducing deeper sleep, the stage is again set for repeated sleep apnea.
As is known, CHF disease state may be evaluated through impedance measurements utilizing electrodes implanted in the heart. Such measurements may be carried out by applying a current between a pair of the electrodes and measuring the voltage therebetween. An implanted cardiac stimulation device is well suited for such an application. Sleep apnea may also be monitored in this manner.
The current applied between the electrodes must have an amplitude sufficient to induce a detectable and usable voltage across the electrodes. However, the current application and voltage measurement must be performed in such a manner that impedance monitor voltages also remain in the active, non-saturated ranges of the monitoring components. Saturation or rail to rail voltages can make impedance measurements unsuitable for proper CHF or apnea assessment.